Triumphrat

crazypierre · 06-09-2005

Hey Guys
I have a Bonnie US style tank which has not been used in ages and has some slight rust build-up inside. Any ideas on how to clean this up? I've been thinking of putting some sharp (but clean) shingle or pebbles inside and rolling them around the tank. (Or glass beads?) This should dislodge the loose bits. What do you think? Is there a better way? I know there is a resin you can put in but I don't think mine is bad enough to warrant this also because of the problems involved in blocking up the petcock threads so the resin doesn't get into them.
Thoughts?
Pete

okiecityflash · 06-09-2005

In the old days we used to use fine, clean sand and agitate. If the tank was perfectly dry it would pour out cleanly to check progress.

dirtntarred · 06-09-2005

What works for me is a couple handfuls of clean nuts and bolts (small bolts like 1/4-20) and some fuel. Slosh that around for a while and you should be able to get a lot of the surface rust off. If after that it still looks cruddy you should seal it. If sealing it is not your thing then at least put in some in-line fuel filters - very cheap, very effective.

swooshdave · 06-09-2005

A handful of nuts (the metal ones, that go on the end of bolts) and some gas. Shake. Rinse. Repeat.

I'm not sure how they do it nowadays.

[ This message was edited by: swooshdave on 2005-06-09 20:33 ]

htown16 · 06-10-2005

I bought a gallon of WD-40 at the auto parts store. Dumped about half of it in the tank along with a bunch of loose nuts and small bolts. Shake for quite a while. Drained and flushed with fresh gasoline. Removed most of the worst rust and varnish. Then used Por-15 kit. Be sure to follow instructions to the letter. Used hand-held hair dryer to make sure tank was perfectly dry before applying final coating. Plug petcock threads with spare bolts. Seems to be holding up well. Good luck. You really need to get the crude out of the system. It messed up my carbs pretty bad even with filters.

Shorty · 06-13-2005

Someone I know swears by WD-40 and a jumbo carton of "BB's".
Shake, dump and repeat.

Shorty

[ This message was edited by: Shorty on 2005-06-13 11:57 ]

Slinky · 06-13-2005

I have used POR-15 in a couple of tanks, it is great stuff. Their "metal ready" and Marine Clean" products work well with it as a preparation.

Marine Clean cleans out all the gum and varnish etc. Metal ready eats the rust and leaves a zinc coating inside the tank, ready for the sealant.

crazypierre · 06-14-2005

Interesting remedies. Out of interest, does anyone know how the tanks originally left the factory? Were they sealed with something or were they just bare metal inside?
Pete

swooshdave · 06-14-2005

Probably bare metal.

TRI-AL · 06-19-2005

The best way to tackle this is to buy a "clean & coat" kit. I think one brand is called "Creme". Should be able to buy it at any MC shop or the I-net. It's a 2 step process. The 1st step "chemically" removes the rust, then you "re-coat" the inside. It works GREAT especially if you only have a "slight" amt of rust. Worked for me!